Fort Knox, Ky. – A pillar of Cadet Summer Training is teaching future Army officers how to operate in high-stress scenarios. Week after week of training exercises provide the repetition Cadets need to thrive in challenging conditions – but what happens when a situation of life or death is no longer hypothetical?

For Cadet Mackenzie Ward, University of New Mexico, 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp, keeping up with her Red Cross certification is a personal requirement, and this summer her competence saved the life of a fellow Cadet.

After a month of summer vacation, Ward arrived at Fort Knox prepared to tackle each of CSTs events. Just over a week in, she was packing up her belongings with two others in the barracks as they prepared for land navigation.

Amidst an easy conversation between new friends while they packed, Ward found herself putting years of first-aid preparation to work when her friend suddenly became unresponsive.

“She was sitting there really focused, and we kept asking ‘are you okay?’ No response,” Ward said. “I didn’t freak out or panic, I just needed to know if she was choking.”

The pressure was on and her training took over. Ward immediately jumped into action when she couldn’t get verbal confirmation. She quickly shifted to using hand signs. Ward held both hands across her own throat and asked the girl to do the same if she was choking.

“Finally after asking five times she did it,” she said. “Another girl ran out to get Cadre and I was like ‘okay, we’re doing this.’”

Before Cadre entered the room, Ward performed the Heimlich maneuver and eventually the object came up.

“It was the biggest relief hearing (her) breathe,” Ward said. “I don’t think I made the choice to act, it was more of a second nature because I knew what to do. I trusted my training.”

Ward began learning the skills for emergency care at a young age when she took a babysitting course. It was the first time she learned the proper technique for the Heimlich maneuver and CPR.

She continued to hone these skills through her involvement in Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts. Still active in the organizations, Ward spends summers in New Mexico working on a ranch for Scouting America where wilderness first aid is a required skill.

However, her personal expectation and motivation to hold a Red Cross certification card comes from real experience.

Help isn’t always a few doors down the hall and at 11 years old Ward lost a close friend on a camping trip because of this.

On a trip with the Boy Scouts, she participated in an exercise similar to land navigation called ‘Squirrel’. Deep in the woods, about 40 minutes away from a medic, her teammate was 50 meters ahead leading the group.

“The next thing we know he went down and we just panicked,” she said. “The closest medical people were about 30 to 40 minutes away before they could come get us.”

That moment became a turning point, not only for the group but Ward personally. It taught her that ‘what-ifs’ can happen. Emergencies don’t come with a warning, and she realized preparedness isn’t optional.

“I find it very important that I personally give my best if someone were to go down,” Ward said.

Ward’s act of courage here at CST is a reflection of her dedication to preparedness. She stays up-to-date on her Red Cross certification to ensure her response in emergencies is second-nature. A symbol of her consistent readiness for the unexpected.

Ward’s advice to everyone around her – to act.

“When you go through training and get into situations like this you can trust the fact you know how to do it,” said Ward. “Looking back it’s scary, but I’m really proud of the fact I did do something, trust your training.”